Earth

Results reported here by L.L. Brothers and colleagues show the first evidence for widespread seabed methane venting along the southeastern U.S. Atlantic Margin beyond the well-known Blake Ridge Diapir Seep.

While it was suspected that such seeps existed, there was little direct evidence until now.

Coral reefs around islands develop a wide variety of forms, including narrow platforms fringing the coast, barrier reefs encircling deep lagoons, and flights of terraces that have been raised above or drowned deep below the sea surface.

Stretching from the Persian Gulf up through Turkey, the northwest-southeast running Zagros fold-and-thrust belt is a region of extensive crustal deformation and seismic activity.

Near the Zagros Mountains the structure of the Middle Eastern region is the result of the intersection of three tectonic plates, with theEurasian plate being squished on both sides by the Arabian and Indian plates.

Braided rivers, with their continuously changing network of channels, are highly dynamic systems.

Four mechanisms of channel change and evolution are considered the classic mechanisms of braided river formation: development ofcentral bars, conversion of single transverse bars to mid-channel braid bars, formation of chutes, and dissection of multiple-braid bars.

There have been few studies on how each of these braiding mechanisms contributes to changes in sediment storage and to the dynamics of a river.

In inland estuaries and shallow coastal waters, small particles of organic matter, such as organic waste and debris or bacteria, clump together to form an aggregate known as floc.

Flocculated particles can span a range of sizes, from a fewmicrometers to a few millimeters, and the properties and concentration of floc have a strong influence on water quality. To infer the properties of floc particles, researchers have proposed using acoustic backscatter measurements, a common technique for estimating sediment concentrations.

The Qinling-Dabie orogenic complex, part of a large east-west mountain range in the heart of China, plays a key role in helping scientists understand the formation and breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia.

Slow slip events (SSEs), in which tectonic plate interfaces slip slowly and generate seismic rumbling, have been observed in many subduction zones around the world.

These events can provide insight into the accumulation and release ofseismic stress, potentially giving scientists information on the processes generating megathrust quakes.

On 29 October 2012 tropical storm Sandy slammed into the New Jersey shoreline, bringing wind and water that killed more than 100 people and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage.

Though its wind speeds were only equivalent to those of a low-level hurricane, Sandy caused record-breaking flooding in New Jersey, New York, and elsewhere. In lower Manhattan water levels hit 4.28meters (14.04 feet) above the mean low water level-the highest flood waters in the region since sensors were installed in 1920.

Over past centuries, the crews of ships regularly measured some basic properties of the waters through which they sailed, such as temperature and salinity.

These historical observations have proven to be important for climate modelers who are trying to validate their work. In recent years, the importance of the deep ocean as a sink for the extra energy trapped by anthropogenic climate change has come to the fore.

Plant growth has been doubled by adding soil microbes. Plants and soil microbes are constantly interacting in natural and agricultural environments and many examples of one-to-one interactions have been studied. However, the effect of mixed microbial populations on the growth and gene expression of plants still remained largely unknown.

The experimental work, which was performed at the German Electron Synchrotron Facility (DESY) in Hamburg, involved levitating hot metal droplets and observing them as they cooled by irradiating them with x-rays from one of the world's strongest x-ray sources. The research work is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the results have just been published in 'Nature Communications'.

The radioactive element astatine, the name of which is derived from the Greek word for 'instability,' is so rare on earth that it has not yet been investigated to any greater extent and, as a consequence, very little is known about it. Using artificially generated astatine, the Mainz-based physicist Sebastian Rothe has now managed for the first time to experimentally explore one of its fundamental parameters, the ionization potential, and thus determine one of the most important properties of the rare element.

Snails in the Great Barrier Reef literally jump for their life to avoid predators. But will they be able to maintain these life-saving jumps, with rising sea temperatures? A new study, to be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting in Valencia on July 5, shows that the snails will indeed be able to keep on jumping, even at temperatures which will kill fish.

As the Ashes series gets underway next week, a pair of brothers from Australia have been exploring the physics behind the spin of a cricket ball.

While physicists are much more accustomed to measuring the spin of electrons, protons and neutrons, Garry and Ian Robinson, Honorary Visiting Fellows at the University of New South Wales and the University of Melbourne respectively, have presented equations that govern the trajectory of a spinning ball as it moves through the air in the presence of a wind.

A new study published today in the journal Gondwana Research, has revealed the past position of the Australian, Antarctic and Indian tectonic plates, demonstrating how they formed the supercontinent Gondwana 165 million years ago.

Researchers from Royal Holloway University, The Australian National University and Geoscience Australia, have helped clear up previous uncertainties on how the plates evolved and where they should be positioned when drawing up a picture of the past.